The sanctions energy crisis: how Europe is looking for ways to buy Russian gas

Alexey Gromov, Principal Director on Energy studies at the Institute for Energy and Finance, commented to Forbes on the possibilities of redirecting Russian network gas in case of Ukrainian gas transit termination.

"Gazprom can redirect through Turkey up to a third of the approximately 15 billion cubic meters entering Europe through Ukraine this year, increasing supplies through gas pipelines passing through Turkish territory, and then through the Balkan Stream pipeline, branching off from the Turkish Stream and going to Hungary through Bulgaria and Serbia", Alexey Gromov says.

The Balkan Stream is underloaded by about 3 billion cubic meters, but you can try to load it by 4 billion cubic meters, he believes. The remaining volumes can be redirected to the east — to China and Central Asia, the expert believes:

"Pipeline exports of Russian gas, even taking into account the closure of Ukrainian transit, may not only remain at the same level, but even grow. This year we will send 30 billion cubic meters of gas [to China] via the Power of Siberia gas pipeline, and next year we will send 38 billion cubic meters." 

In addition, the expert predicts that supplies to Central Asia may grow to 12.5 billion cubic meters next year from the current 8.5 cubic meters, of which 3 billion are now supplied to Uzbekistan and about 5.5 billion more to Kazakhstan.

"But, of course, the income from these supplies will not be in any way comparable to what Gazprom received in the European direction," Gromov clarifies.